Latch.



0. L. CRAIG.

men. .APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1916.

Patent-ed Oct. 17 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. L. CRAIG.

Patented Oct. 17,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 nvmvm Clyde .2 Graig MOW Q4 WITNESSES: fMQJM/ A TTOR/IIE V8 .6, in clamped position. Fig. 8 is a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CLYDE L. CRAIG, OF WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, OHIO.

Application filed March 23, 1916. Serial No. 86,061.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE L. CRAIG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington Court House, in the county of Fayette and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Latches, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to latches, and more particularly to a latch for connecting membersto be oined, of a nature adapted to clamp the members tightly together in firm even contact and which may be readily and quickly manipulated to either clamped or released position. I

A further object of myinvention is to providea latch of the above type capable of general application in connection with parts to be connected, such as for instance, doors, gates, and others, and capable of effective use wherever adapted.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating several forms of which my invention 18 susceptible, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the practical application of my improved latch in connection withbarn doors. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the latch member in clamped position. Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the inside portion of connected doors, as seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 618 an elevation illustrating my invention applied in connection with swinging doors. Fig. 7 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating the latch as shown in Fig. detail perspective view illustrating. my improved latch. utilized for connecting a gate, for-instance, with a gate'post, the'latter forming one of the members to be connected. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view illustratlng two members to be connected, in detached relation, one of' said members having. certain means constituting a slight modification of the form shown in Fig. 7 Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view illustrating the application of my invention to automobile and like vehicle doors. Fig. 11 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig.v 10.

Referring now tothe figures, and more particularly to the form as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inch1sive, the two members 10 Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented 061;, 1'7,

and 11 to be connected may be, as shown, of angular form, one of their flangesbeing secured to the battens 12 of barn doors 13 or. like doors of a sliding nature, by means of bolts or other fastening members 14, and the other flange thereof having slotted openings 15 through which the laterally extended head 16 of my improved latch piece -is adapted to be projected said head being, as shown, elongated in one direction and having inclined inner faces 17 as best seen in Fig. 3,

. whereby when inserted through the slots 15,

turning movement of the head to a posi tion at right angleswith respect to the slots, serves to draw the meeting flanges of the members 10 and 11 tightly together in firmly and evenly clamped relation. In this form of the invention, the head 16 is secured in connection with a handle member 18 at a point intermediate the ends of this handle member, which passes through the member 11 and through the respective door 13, and is provided with angular portions 19 upon relatively opposite sides of the door, the head 16 and the handle member 18'being so disposed in relation to one another that when the head 16 is in the clamped position shown in,Fig.. 2, the inner angular portion 20 of the handle member may be lowered into a recessed portion 21 on the inner face of the respective door 13,,so as to obviate interference with the door frame or the adjacent parts of the building when the doors are opened.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. .6 and 7 illustrates the manner in which the invention may be used with particular success in connection with sagging doors of the hinged type, the members 23 and 24 to be connected being secured to the meeting edges of the doors, o those edges supposed to meet,

as seen in Fig. 6, these members to be conin order to prevent loss of the latch piece was nected.

The form of the inventionsli'own' in-'Fig; 9 differs from that shown in Figs. 6 and lg just above described, in that a guard plate 3- iss u e same-mem er. to e ca ne tr,1 ed in "order tdmovablvconfine the handle 29 and thus prevent lossiofthe latch piece, so as to dispense with the use of a chain, such as shown M30, inFigs. (i fand 7. Y-InFigAS the latch -piece=;32 of theisame eonstruetion --previou s ly described in; conllQOtlQIltWlhlT-Flgs. I6 and '7 is utilized in connection With-members'tobe secured, one of which is a plate attachable, as for 1nsta nee to a gate, and the other. of which may be gate post, as se'en-at lfhaving a slotted Opening to al'ine with [the slotted opening offone fl-ange of the plate33, and :thus provide forthe entrance and operation of thelaterallyflextended' 'head of the latch the form of the'ginvention shown in Figsfld and jl l .tlielatch pieee is I confined in connection with -'the1'd'oor carried plate 36, its laterallyentendedhead 37 being adapted for engagement through the re'cess';38 of a recessed keep'er 39 secured to the body 40',

thehandle 4E1- ofthe latch piecebeing preferably controlled by a spring 42 hinged to maintain the head 37 in position at all times. Inlo'rder to effect automatic engagementof the head 37 through the recess of the keeper in thisfform of the invention, the outer face of the-head is also inclined, as particiilarly seen in Fig. '11, so that upon forcible contact with the keeper, the head willbe restricted to a position permitting of its passagethrough the recess38 I and will there afterbe drawn to latched position by the p n 4:1 P

It isobvious therefore that I provide a latch especially effective in securely clamp- ,firm; even contact, parts'to ib'e connetted, and cap b e'qf'varieus uses, as illustrated andhdescribed. is obvious further that 'llprovide a latch, the latch piece of which may be readily and quickly manipirlate'd, both to'latched and released position. In the forms of the ,inventignshownin Fig-. -l to finelusiye and -9 the ,Ineeting flanges of the members to be iconnected may also be providedwith apertures as} indicated at48, which alinewhen the parts are clamped itogethenso asto-receive the shackle of apadlock 44;, as seen in' FigJQ, for the purpose of loclrging the iparts so clamped and connected, "gain st unwarranted manipulation and entry l I 9 I It is to beunderstoodthatthe non-sag.- in'g ;feature,orj rather, the adaptability iif "my f an newing ethe and meamp g g ne'- e *e in t n rion-sagging relaaon is an important fea'- .tageover other door latches.

' to their proper" positions, has been found with a' transverse recess llroofltli. invention'land a great advan- By this means be readjusted and raised at which point it by experience they. will eliminatmg the disagreeable feature do r fithadee ss on the orsas shown 111 Fig. 6; a

--I-c1aim i 1. In a latch, the combination with parts i to be connectedfof a 'pairfo-f angular member's-secured thereto,- *l1 aving -portions to be clamped extending at right angles to the parts' to' be connected and provided with slotted openings, and a ward -andaway from the partsyto be con nected, having alaterally' projecting head spaced from a portion of the lever for engagement through said openings, said head being elongated in one direction andprovided with inclined faces at the inner sides thereof. i

'2. In'alatch, the combination with parts to be connected, ofa pair ofangular members secured thereto, having portions gto be clamped extending .at rightan les to the sa d parts to be'connected and provided with slotted openings, and a lever s'wingable toward and away from the parts to "beconnected, having a laterally projecting head for engagement through said openings, said head ibeing elongated in one direction and provided with inclined faces at the .inner sides thereof, and a guard plate secured to one of said members and overlying the headed portion of the lever whereby to movsaid member.

3. In a latch of the type described, a vpair of members to -beclamped provided with portions having slotted openings, and a latch piece including a laterallyextended head elongatediin one direction and provided with inclinedflfaces atthe inner sides there of, and a lever intermediate the ends of which saidhead is mounted, said lever extending through one ,of :the said members and swingable in a plane parallel to the slotted portion of said member, and said lever having angular handle portions upon relatively opposite sides of thesaid member.

la/In a latch of the type described, the combination with doors to'be connected, one of which is provided with an elongated slot parallel with and adjacent its free edge, and in its inner face, of a pair of angular members. to "be. connected, secured to the doors adjacent their meeting edges a nd provided in their outstanding flanges with elongated slots, one of said members" having a slot in alinement with the slot of the respective door, and a latch Piece -inclugiling a laterally extended "head elongated in one direction and rovided with inclined faces at the inner side lever swingabl t thereof, "3

and a lever intermediate the ends of which said head is mounted, said lever extending through the door slot and the slot of the last mentioned member to be connected alined therewith and swinging parallel to Gopies of this patent may be obtained for bers to be clamped having slotted portions, and a lever swingable toward and away from said members, having a handle and having a laterally extended head projectable through the slots of said members and elongated in one direction, and having inclined faces at the inner sides thereof, said lever having a reduced stem at one side connecting the same with the said head and extend-' ing through the slot of one of said members to form the pivot of swinging movement of the lever.

CLYDE CRAIG.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

